The Denver Nuggets won the NBA Finals on Monday night after defeating the Miami Heat in Game 5, making it their first championship title in the team’s 47-year NBA history.
The Nuggets won the Miami Heat by a score of 94-89, and got the best-of-seven series in five games.
Nikola Jokić led the Nuggets with 28 points and 16 rebounds and was named the NBA Finals most valuable player. He is the first center to win the award named after the late Bill Russell since Shaquille O’Neal of the Lakers in 2002.
“It was an amazing effort by the team. It was an ugly game; we couldn’t make shots. But at the end we figured out how to defend. That’s why we won the game,” Jokic said after the game.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said,”Nikola Jokić is a great person. He’s a great husband, father and son and brother. And on the basketball court he has proven time and time again that he’s the best player in the NBA. He’s our MVP, we love him and we’re thankful that he’s wearing a Nuggets’ uniform.”
According to ESPN Stats & Info, 28-year-old Jokić had 10 total triple-doubles, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s seven for most all-time in a single playoff run. He also finished the postseason as the first player in NBA history to lead all players in points, rebounds, and assists in a single postseason.
Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. had 16 points and 13 boards and Jamal Murray chipped in 14 points.
“We’re not satisfied with one. We want more. We want more”, Malone said, as he talked about the sacrifices and dedication the team took on to win the championship title.
Denver trailed by as many as seven points in the fourth quarter. But the Heat went on a 13-5 run and led by one point, 89-88, with 1:58 left in the contest.
Denver scored the game’s final six points with Bruce Brown knocking in a putback layup with 91 seconds left, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brown hitting free throws as the final minute played out. Miami couldn’t connect as Heat players tried several 3-pointers.
“There’s no regrets on our end. There’s just sometimes where you get beat, you know, and Denver was the better basketball team in this series,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra would say after the game. “I would say that it will probably rank as our hardest, competitive, most active defensive game of the season, and it still fell short.”
The Nuggets were victorious despite being 5-for-28 on 3’s – they missed 20 of their first 22 attempts – and 13-23 at the free throw line.
The Denver Nuggets started in the American Basketball Association fin 1967 and played for or nine seasons, then joined the NBA before the 1976-1977 season.
The Nuggets have have played in the NBA for 47 seasons, excluding this one, and have reached the conference finals four times (1978, 1985, 2009, 2020), losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on each occasion.
Many of the Nuggets fans took to social media to celebrate their victory, with the City scheduling a parade and celebration on Thursday.
“I really never thought I’d see the Denver Nuggets win a championship. ever,” a fan tweeted. “But we picked a 19 year old Center from Serbia with the 41st pick and he just led us to a championship.”
“Congratulations to Denver!” a Heat fan said. “I swear I’d be rooting for y’all if it wasn’t my team playing on the other side. I’m so happy for Jokic. I’m so happy for the fans!! this is y’all’s first championship ever! Couldn’t think of anyone who deserved it more other than Miami lol.”
